by SUSAN MANN
Ontario farm and processor leaders are finalizing a document outlining their long-term vision for agriculture.
The Ontario food strategy document sketches out where the agricultural industry “feels it needs to go to make sure that we are economically viable and prosperous going forward,” says Keith Currie, Ontario Federation of Agriculture executive member and zone director for Simcoe, York and Peel counties. He represents the federation on the presidents’ council, which is developing the document along with David Sparling, chair of Agri-Food Innovation and Regulation at the Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business.
The strategy covers 25 to 30 years “and what we feel we need, at least at this point in time, to maintain agriculture’s viability in Ontario,” Currie says.
The document has so far been circulated to members of the presidents’ council. It will come up again at the council meeting in September for refinement. The document will eventually be released publicly.
The presidents’ council, a group of presidents (or their representatives) from commodity groups and processors, has been developing the document for about two years. Lorne Small, president of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, says Premier and Agriculture Minister Kathleen Wynne is very focused on industries getting their long term targets in place and then working towards them and “that’s given the whole process a bit of a push.”
On June 27, a small group of council members met with Premier Wynne and Ontario agriculture ministry officials to discuss the strategy.
Small says the document “is really an attempt to try and focus people’s vision on the longer term.”
The industry needs to concentrate on where it’s going 20 years from now “and head towards that target,” he says.
Ontario needs a food strategy document because “if you’re going to provide some leadership in the agricultural industry you have to have a vision as to where you want to go,” Small explains.
Currie says the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has a national food strategy, to which the OFA contributed.
While the provincial food strategy was being developed, Currie says he was trying to keep the two strategies aligned. “My emphasis in particular was to make sure that as much as we need the processors and retailers to be on board, we still need to make sure we look after the people behind the farm gate too. That was captured.”
The document also delves into the economics of agriculture and how key the industry is to Ontario, he says. “As people focus on how Ontario agriculture is driving the economy here, how do we enhance that going forward?” BF
Comments
Nowhere in this release was there any mention of the most-important component of any analysis of this sort - the consumer. And while I hope the consumer wasn't ignored completely, it is quite-telling that the OFA's Keith Currie put particular emphasis on processors, retailers, and farmers, but didn't mention consumers at all. It's all well-and-good to know where you want to be, and where you want to go, in the next 20 years, but if consumers, in both our domestic and export markets, are going in another direction, creating this sort of "vision" is not just a wasted effort, but a dangerously-wasted effort.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Are you suggesting that your old alma matter is wasting our time?
One of the positive things about going to a business school for input on these matters is that they always look at where the consumer is going, and then try to position the client accordingly. Unfortunately, agriculture has always thought that consumers were far-less important than farmers, and whatever input the Ivey people give, it's unlikely agriculture is going to deviate from their long-established "produce it and then try to force people to eat it" mentality. Sometimes, and unfortunately, the best/least harmful course of action is to just tell the client what they want to hear. For example, any business policy consultant worth anything is going to tell us that we need to ditch supply management, but since we don't need experts to tell us that, and since we're not prepared to listen to any such advice anyway, it won't be given, and we'll continue merrily on, blinded by our delusions that we are doing the right thing, and consider our money to have been well-spent, when, in fact, it was wasted.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
I don't think we in primary production ag deal directly with the consumer . Most time we produce under contract with a processor . So it is not the farmer who is wrong or not thinking of the consumer it is those who we sell our goods to so I will say you are not correct here . So don't tell farmers they are wrong and blinded by our delusions . I do not know any one who grows non GMO soys and does not take the premium on the price when they sell . That would be like an organic farmer selling his crop at the same price as GMO crops .
You mean like how consumers and retailers are demanding the end of gestation stalls and Pork producers are fighting tooth and nail against it,is that how you mean listening to consumers ??Don't give me this Ivey people crap!
Actually a committee is recommending stalls be phased out by 2024. The committee has producers on it as well as other industry interests.
A few producers are upset and the press reports on that. Meanwhile many producers have already changed, others are currently making changes and still others are looking into it. So...a few producers are fighting the change, it's a free country and they are entitled to express their views...although it's a wasted effort.
Other hog producers are giving consumers what they want in the form of antibiotic free, paylean free, organic, free range etc. etc.
I think you are the one that is picking out a few producers and inferring they represent all producers...now that is hogwash.
When the consumer is educated as too the benefits of stalls in making the life of a sow more humane they have no issues with them. Its the PETA type scare tactics that some react too until they know the truth. As I have said many times if open pens,free range ,organics,ect. was better for the animal then we would all be there doing that tomorrow . Since we have used gestation stalls since 1978 and a few pens for loose housing I still believe stalls are one of the most humane things we have ever done for our sow herd. kg kimball
Most of the current hog industry know nothing but stalls. The consumer/customer is not hampered with that outlook. Look at the sows as they move around. Mother nature did not intend sows to be in a 2'x7'pen for virtually all of their adult life. We could just as easily grow meat in a lab.
The consumer/customer knows that many (20%) of producers are already doing without stalls successfully with no drop in production and selling at the same price as stall operations.
Change is never easy, but look around the world. We either change or get left behind. Surely we learned something from lost markets with Paylean.
I would have to agree that most do not know any thing but stalls . Now some who are organic/free range and what ever else are selling into a niche market . Many farmers look at getting the most production out of the smallest square feet of building . I know this first hand from when I exited the hog industry back in the eighties when it was expand the number of sows and use stalls , go liquid or get out . All you have to do is look at the number of years a sow will serve her purpose of being a top producer of off spring . It is short in comparision to what it used to be years ago . I know the challenge has been more food at a cheaper price but that does not mean it is better . Same goes for the opposite , too expensive and you limit the market or buyers . Look at hydro rates , Green Energy and the fact that conservation has in some cities pushed hydro rates up to give the hydro companies enough money to operate on . It was not because hydro was priced wrong . It was the fact that the dollars being brought in were shrinking and the cost to operate was increasing so the easy fix was to increase rates while not cutting costs .
Now with herd health yes it can be argued that health is better in confinement . But then desease out breaks seem more and more all the time because there is no natural immune system left . Don't forget labor costs for the operation . Labor for a confinement system is less but also less jobs for working stiffs .
I guess I look some what as to what people have done over the years . I would like to see many farmers live the way their parents and grand parents did years ago in a small house . Today many houses today are bigger in square footage than what most bank barns were with at least half or a third as many children .
I would hope that somebody that keeps any animal as a pet in there house,aquarium ,fenced yard or on a chain should all be let free as those animals where never intended to be domesicated
Dollars seems to rule . It is a matter of the most dollars out of the least square feet of space .
Loose pens will work as long as there is room enough for animals to get away from the bossy ones and find a quiet spot to go to . Most loose pens are packed so tight that they yes would be better off in a stall . Been there done that . Fighting and tail biting are not just because of diet or lack of some thing in a diet . Pack people in too tight they fight too .
Then why does Ontario Pork and Canadian Pork Council continue to sit on the fence about the abolishment of Gestation stalls if the Majority (as you suggest) has either changed over or is in the process ?This has been coming for quite some time and another 10 years seems excessive,in that time most of those boot-draggers will be out of the business.
It is more than likely the animal rights groups who are pushing the change . Trouble is that they seem to think and have convinced retailers that they do . So retailers have jumped on the band wagon . Now don't foget that the consumer will not know the effect of this until the price of pork takes a huge jump . Retailers will blame the farmer and not the consumer or animal rights groups . Either way the farmer will be the fall guy for all of this and in the end consumers will move to more of a veggie diet because they will not be able to affard meat .
i don't believe for 10 seconds that the price of pork will change when stalls are phased out. we will still be selling on a north american market.
Then I guess you don't believe that history repeats its self and you also must not realize that markets are global any more . Why are were doing trade deals with countries on the opposite side of the globe ? The USA will look after the north american market every chance it gets .
as far as i know in europe they have not recieved and more for thier hogs since going to loose housing, therefore why would i believe we will in ontario? tim hortons can buy pork raised without stalls or crates tomorrow from dubreton if they want to, but my suspicion is they dont' want to pay the extra $.
Is their price the same as ours? Not likely, and if you want to send pork there then we will have to meet their standards...which include loose sow housing.
No just our money like the Gov. !
l had the privilege a few years ago to attend my first OFA meeting and it was a real eye-opener.l had Sheep,chicken,Dairy,Pork and Beef people all sitting close by me,to try and bring all those Agriculture industries together and work for a common cause is a huge undertaking,so many different agenda's!.Good luck!
There are a lot of issues which simply cannot be discussed - for example, ethanol and green energy would, albeit for completely-different reasons, divide any OFA meeting right down the middle, and to an ever-increasing extent, so would supply management. For example, one of these times, sombody is going to call for a vote to support supply management, and unlike every similar vote in the past, it's going to fail. It's an acquired skill to know what can be discussed, and what can not, and unfortunately, this limitation, to a considerable extent, puts blinders on what we allow ourselves to even think about, and that, alas, is a huge problem because it instills mediocrity into the decision-making process.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
That was my point,its a difficult job pleasing everyone.However a vote on Supply Management would be ridiculous, it would be like our Agricultural financial establishments (banks!) voting to end support for SM, if fact that would be a good question to put to your banker the next time you are in.l would love to see his reaction.
I deal with a credit union which believes, as do I, that taking quota as security is bad banking - therefore, even though they have the credit limits to be primary lenders to supply managed farmers, they typically don't. My lender wouldn't mind if supply management disappeared completely, and if FCC disappeared with it.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
So l take it you couldn't get a loan approved from FCC or the major banks..surprise surprise!
Can not fix stupid
Ya I been there too. A few hints learned over the years
Focus on our priorities, not your political interests
“If you don't get involved in the political process, you are destined to be governed by those who do."
The bigger truth is “even when supportive of a democratic process do not count on being heard above the hidden agendas of politics”
You must trust our representatives to not sell us down the road least wanted by us and most wanted by retailers and gov . Now there is a knee slapper ! Look at our hydro rates and where they are heading . Trust has been lost I would say .
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